“Discernment is not knowing the difference between right and wrong. It is knowing the difference between right and almost right. False teaching is most powerful because it so closely resembles the truth that even the elect, if it were possible, would be deceived.” —Charles Spurgeon
All 27 of the New Testament books – letters – were written within 70 years of the crucifixion of Christ. And, out of all 27 books, 26 were written with a common theme running through them: False teaching and false teachers. Of course, I am not saying that was the only reason they were written, and it certainly wasn’t the only theme, but it was an undeniable common denominator throughout. One might say that “false teaching” was the catalyst God used to give us our New Testament.
Think about that for a moment. Less than 70 years after Christ walked the Earth, the Church was already in grave danger. It was being infiltrated from all sides by false teachers – wolves in sheep’s clothing. This early Church still had many of the Holy Apostles walking among them – the very men who gave us the inspired and inerrant Scriptures – and yet, somehow, heresy and false gospels were infecting nearly the entire Church. They lived in an age where it could take months for one of Satan’s messengers to get from one city to another with his venomous words, and yet, somehow, within less than 70 years of Christ leaving us, these doctrines of demons were spreading like wildfire.
If these things are true, it begs the question: Where are we at today?
It’s now been more than 1900 years since those 27 letters were written. We live in an age where information is being proliferated to the entire world simply by pressing buttons. The wolf of the early Church had to rely almost entirely on oral teaching and written letters to transmit his infection. But now his toolbox has grown exponentially larger; he has television, radios, computers, phones, social media channels, music and video streaming services, books, and what is perhaps his most deadly ally standing by his side – algorithms.
The wolf of our age can simply hit record on his phone, and his poison is spewed to the entire world. With every ear he tickles, he gains another follower, another subscriber, another friend. And with every follower he gains, the more “credible” he becomes. His messages are aptly said to go “viral” across the internet – infecting the masses daily.
After finishing his recording, the wolf of our age can then book an airline ticket, or simply board his private jet, and arrive at nearly any city on the face of the Earth in less than 24 hours so that he can continue to preach his demonic doctrines and false gospels at the latest “Christian Conference.”
The wolf of our age doesn’t simply infect his unsuspecting congregation every Sunday morning. No, now he livestreams his virus to the internet each week, where they remain available to all. His poisonous fruit now hangs from a tree that remains evergreen, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, forever.
In light of all this, surely we must wonder: If the early Church, with the Apostles and founding fathers walking among them, living in an age when information spread at a snail’s pace, were so infected and compromised with deception in less than 70 years, how much worse must it be today? What exactly is the current reality of our situation? How many wolves are in our midst? Just how toxic is the air we breathe? I hope you see that my questions are rhetorical.
I believe that simple logic, combined with a quick glance at the state of Christianity today, can lead us to only one conclusion: The “professing” church is bursting at the seams with false teachers. Deception is running rampant. We live in the midst of a spiritual pandemic. This shouldn’t surprise us, though; our Master told us 2000 years ago that few will find the narrow road that leads to life. It only makes logical sense that we find ourselves in a situation where there are few true churches, few true shepherds, and few true sheep.
But now we get to the point in my writing where I fear I will lose many. They will say to themselves, “Why does this matter to me? Because…
… my pastor isn’t a wolf in sheep’s clothing.”
… I am not reading ‘Christian’ books written by false teachers.”
… I am not listening to YouTube sermons that contain doctrines of demons.”
With all my heart I hope and pray that those statements are true. But I find myself compelled by love to ask you a follow-up question: How do you know?
HOW DO YOU KNOW?
That’s the question that strikes at the very core of that nefarious word deception. What is that core? It is the understanding that the deceived never believe that they are deceived. We (me included) always believe that we are right in the things we believe … otherwise we wouldn’t believe them.
We believe the things we believe because they appear to us to be right. They appear to be truth. They appear to be “light.” But do we forget what the Scriptures say – that Satan comes as an “Angel of Light”? Do we forget that the wolf comes dressed in “sheep’s clothing”?
Consider Jude’s words to the Church about these false teachers:
“For certain people have crept in [to the Church] unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation” – Jude 1:4.
Did you see that? They “crept in unnoticed.”
How did they do that? Because they appeared as angels of light. Because they dressed like every other sheep. They walked like the sheep. They talked like the sheep. And because the sheep were so filled with pride and naivety as to think that the warnings didn’t apply to them.
Consider the words of one of our great modern-day pastors, Voddie Baucham: “The problem with deception is not that people don’t know the truth – it’s that they believe they already have it. False teaching is most dangerous because it confirms people in their rebellion against God while convincing them they’re safe.”
The great Puritan Thomas Brooks writes: “Satan paints sin with virtues’ colors. He knows that deception must carry the appearance of truth, or none would ever believe it. The most dangerous errors are those that are nearest to the truth, for they imperceptibly lead souls away from Christ.”
So now we are led to the next logical question, the one you are likely already asking …
What are we to do? If the logical conclusion is that the Church is running rampant with wolves and deception, and those wolves are dressed in sheep’s clothing, and their messages appear as truth and light, and if the deceived never believe that they are deceived: What are we to do – is there any hope of truly knowing if we are among the deceived? Do you see the dilemma that we are in?
Many would likely say that it’s a pointless question. That it’s one of those deep philosophical questions that has no answer, and therefore we shouldn’t waste our time pondering such things. I would disagree. I believe it is precisely the question that we are supposed to be wrestling with.
Why do I say this? Why would I say that we are supposed to be struggling with theological and philosophical mysteries that many would say don’t have an answer? Because I believe God Himself intentionally left us with these questions so that we would be compelled to take action. And in this case, I believe there is a very specific action, or posture, that we are supposed to take. There is a particular response that God is compelling us to take as we consider the warnings of Scripture, and the dilemma that we find ourselves in when it comes to the nature of deception. And it is my belief that this one particular response is the distinguishing mark of all those who are in fact, the elect – the undeceived ones!
They are – ON GUARD! This is the distinguishing mark of the elect – the ones who will persevere to the end. My friend, how many times do we see the warnings on the pages of Scripture: Be on Guard! Be watchful! Test everything!
The ones who will not be led astray begin with one fundamental understanding: They understand the current reality of their situation! They understand that they are behind enemy lines, and the enemy is dressed in the same garb as themselves. They know they have only one hope if they wish to distinguish the false from the real; They must pour themselves into the Scriptures to discern what God actually says, and who God actually is.
Like those noble Bereans in Acts 17 who tested the words of the Apostle Paul against the Scriptures, they carefully scrutinize every word they hear, every sermon, every book, every video, every podcast, every song, every series on Netflix. They would not dare to kick back and mindlessly pour in anything into their souls. They do not leave weighty theological truths to the experts behind the pulpit on Sunday mornings. Oh no, they take responsibility for the Word they have in their hand, they become theologians themselves. They have a running list of the wolves in sheep’s clothing and the demonic doctrines of their day. And like the Apostles, and any great soldier on the field of battle, they do not look out only for themselves, but they are always warning their fellow comrades.
My friend, do you wish to persevere to the end? Then know this, only fools skip across minefields! Understand the current reality of your situation, and BE ON GUARD!